Pregnant Love Islander Olivia Bowen shows off growing baby bump as she parties with Stacey Solomon at hair event
PREGNANT Love Island star Olivia Bowen showed off her growing baby bump as she partied with Stacey Solomon at a hair event.
The Love Island star, 31, who is getting ready to welcome her second baby with husband Alex Bowen, opened up to The Sun about her last month of pregnancy and teased her baby daughter’s name.
Looking stunning in a lime green dress, the mum-of-one showed off her growing bump.
She looked every inch the yummy mummy, and had her hair blown for the occasion.
Olivia was at Shoreditch House in London for a celebrity event to launch the new REHAB. Retreat body care range.
The Love Island legend mingled with other stars which included Stacey Solomon, Lucy Watson, Sam Thompson and Samie Elishi.
Olivia told The Sun about her pregnancy: “It’s different, it’s a lot harder because I had a three-year-old to look after at the same time, before all I had to worry about was myself, so it’s very different.
“It’s really rewarding and so lovely to see how excited Abel is to have a baby sister, he always talks about it.
“Alex is doing good, he’s always wanted a little girl, so he’s really happy about that – we’re just both really but it’s just hard work.
“We already have a name for her. I liked Hattie, but Alex did not. We really liked Darcy. But we have picked one – I got Alex a Father’s Day present with the name and there’s a few reasons why we’ve picked it.”
Olivia said: “I was really sick at the start, partly that was down to obviously expecting twins at the start and I think my hormone levels were so high, I was really sick for a while, I was really off my food and could only eat carbs and beige foods or nothing.
“Then I had a really nice part, I’ve only got a month to go. It’s just this last bit that’s a bit harder again.”
The media personality also opened up about losing one of her babies at eight weeks.
She said: “It was therapy discussing it, some people might say ‘how did you speak about it?’, but for me I’m a talkative person, I’m an oversharer, it was really like therapy discussing it with people.
“The reaction I had was worth it a million times over.
“So many woman messaged and said ‘I didn’t know what that was but I’ve had it and you make me feel less alone’. Anything that gives you that reaction is so worth it.
“I do feel emotional sometimes thinking about it, I think we’ve compartmentalised it well. We have to because we’ve got a healthy baby that’s nearly here, you try and focus on the positives and not what was going to be or what was.
“It’s still hard and it still comes up in my head and I still think about having to tell her one day. It’s a weird situation but we’re very lucky to have a baby that’s nearly there.”
Olivia announced in February that she was having another baby, after finding out she was pregnant last Christmas.
Sharing the news on Instagram, she said: “A moment, a love – baby no2 – we’re waiting for you.”
OLIVIA’S HEARTBREAK
In March, Olivia opened up to The Sun’s Fabulous magazine about finding out she was expecting twins, but then learning she had sadly lost one of the babies at eight weeks.
She revealed how she had miscarried after suffering from vanishing twin syndrome.
It occurs in the early stages, when one of the babies stops developing and is absorbed by the mother’s body, or the surviving twin.
Speaking on Loose Women with husband Alex, the pregnant star broke down in tears as the couple discussed the miscarriage with the panel.
She said: “It was such a shock. There were no symptoms to indicate anything was wrong. We went into the scan excited, thinking everything was going perfectly, but it was blindsiding when we learned that one of the babies had gone.”
She reflected on the surprising nature of the loss, especially given the absence of any warning signs, and the emotional toll it had taken on her and Alex.
Olivia added: “I was always so positive, and when you try to be 100% positive all the time, when something bad happens, it hits even harder.”
Despite the pain, Olivia found comfort in knowing that the baby she lost had been reabsorbed into her body by the 14-week mark.
She said: “It’s a tremendously sad experience, but knowing that the baby is still a part of me helps me hold on to their memory.”
When asked if she would have preferred not to know about the loss, Olivia admitted, “It’s a hard question. I feel lucky to have experienced the brief moment of possibly having twins, even if it was for just a short time.”
IT’S A GIRL!
Olivia also shared her excitement about the arrival of their second child, revealing that they are expecting a baby girl with a touching gender reveal video.
Alex, visibly excited, spoke about his own dreams of having a large family, and said: “I never had a big family growing up, so having this baby means so much to me.”
The couple’s joy was evident during the emotional gender reveal moment on the show, as they shared the news of their little girl with today’s roster.
While still grieving the loss of their baby, Olivia and Alex said they’re looking forward to the future with their two-year-old son Abel, who is eager to become a big brother.
Olivia shared: “Abel talks to the baby through my belly button. He’s going to be the best big brother ever.”
Olivia and Alex met on series two of Love Island in 2016.
The couple have been by each other’s side ever since, and thrilled fans when they got married in 2018.
What is vanishing twin syndrome?
VANISHING twin syndrome is a type of miscarriage that affects twin, triplet and multiple pregnancies.
It occurs in the early stages, when one of the foetuses stops developing and is absorbed by the mother’s body, or the surviving twin(s).
Because it happens so early on – typically within the first 12 weeks of gestation – many women don’t realise they are carrying more than one baby.
Symptoms can be very subtle, or non-existent, but can include: cramping, bleeding and pelvic pain.
It is usually detected through routine ultrasound examinations.
The exact cause is unknown. But vanishing twin syndrome is thought to affect around 30 per cent of twin or multiple pregnancies.
Women over the age of 30 are more likely to experience it, and experts say IVF has led to an increase in multiple pregnancies, and consequently, instances of vanishing twin syndrome.
If a twin is lost, the surviving foetus or foetuses typically continue to develop normally.
Source: London Pregnancy Clinic
